Robert Mueller eyes Rick Gates movie producer gigs in fraud case

Rick Gates' moonlighting as a movie producer has attracted the attention of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

The well-known political consultant and lobbyist — indicted earlier this month in the special counsel investigation of Russia's meddling in the 2016 Presidential election — has also had a hand in the creation of several lesser-known films. His IMDB page includes three producer credits for "11:55," "God the Father" and this year's "Walk of Fame," which stars Clint Eastwood's son, Scott.

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Some of Gates' movie-making colleagues however, have been accused of defrauding investors, including a reality television personality out of millions of dollars in a New York lawsuit.

Mueller's primary concern in the film scam is that Gates shares a lawyer with Stephen Brown, one of the producers named in the New York lawsuit, according to Talking Points Memo. It presents a potential conflict of interest, as the two may have to testify against each other.

Attorney Walter Mack is defending Gates against charges of money laundering and failing to disclose foreign bank accounts as well as Brown, who was charged for his alleged scheme in New York last year.

A federal indictment filed against Brown, James David Williams and Gerald Seppala in June 2016 allege the trio netted more than $12 million in financing for film projects, which they promised investors would earn them guaranteed returns.

The funds were instead allegedly used for personal expenses including club memberships, timeshares, clothing and their children's tuition.

The producers convinced potential investors to participate in their projects by showing fake screenshots to prove they were also investing their own money.

Robert Mueller testifies before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on March 12, 2013. (Kevin Lamarque/REUTERS)

Bill Busbice, a member of the A&E reality show "Country Buck$," in a 2014 civil suit said he fell victim to their ploy. He claimed he was first approached by the men in April 2013, and they pitched him a documentary project called "Made in America."

After being shown falsified bank statements showing Williams invested $500,000 of his own money, Bubice said he agreed to match it with an investment of his own.

Williams used the strategy to collect a total of $10.9 million from Busbice, according to the law suit. The matter was eventually settled, with Williams ordered to pay out $6.95 million and Brown $3.5 million.

Williams pleaded guilty earlier this fall in the criminal case, while Brown, meanwhile, is still fighting charges of fraud, attempted money laundering and attempted fraud.

Also among Mueller's interests in the case is the relationship between Gates and Brown, who "are believed by the government to have had a long-term personal and business relationship that creates areas of potential factual overlap between the two cases," according federal court filing in Washington earlier this month.

Prosecutors also noted a $50,000 transfer from Bade LLC — a company run by Gates — to Plainfield Pass, which the producers claimed was involved with one their film projects. The former is among the entities Mueller suspects Gate and former Trump Campaign chair Paul Manafort used to hide money netted lobbying for a pro-Russian political party, according to the news site.

Brown and Gates, who serve as partners at MAP Global Holdings, each "share recourse liabilities in the amount of $3,355,125 and $3,355,126 respectively," prosecutors said, adding neither those nor the film projects "have been included in Gates' personal financial statement submitted to the government as part of his bail package," according to the court filing.